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MIGRATION. 



and the tail has only one black bar, about half an inch in breadth at the 

 end, with the tip white. In every other respect it resembles the last 

 described. 



MEROPS (Linnaeus.) — * Bee-eater, a genus thus characterised. 

 Bill rather long-, slightly curved, sharp pointed, somewhat quadran- 

 gular, and keeled ; nostrils at the sides of the base, oval, open, and in 

 some species partly hidden by reflected bristles ; legs having the shank 

 short ; toes three before and one behind, the outer being joined to the 

 middle one as far as the second joint ; the inner one the same as far as 

 the first joint ; claws small, that of the hind toe the smallest ; wings, 

 the first quill very short, the second the longest in the wing. One 

 species only has been observed as a straggler in Britain.* 



MERULIDiE (Vigors.)— * The Thrush kind; a family of the 

 Perchers, (Insessores, Vigors.)* 



MEW. — A name for the Gull (Larus canus) in its immature 

 plumage. 



MIDDLE SPOTTED WOODPECKER.— A name for the Crank 

 Bird. 



MIGRATION. — The migration of birds is a curious fact which no 

 one denies, though we have not wanted for incredulous persons who 

 believed the nightingale was to be found in every hedge during winter. 

 That an accidental summer bird of passage may be, by disease, pre- 

 vented from returning to its natural winter quarters, we can admit ; 

 because there are variety of instances of the swallow and martin having 

 been seen flying in the months of November and December, roused, 

 probably, from a state of torpidity, by an unusual warmth of the air. 

 So also there are instances of some of our winter migrants remaining 

 with us the whole summer. The woodcock's eggs and young have 

 many times been taken in our woods ; but these are individual occur- 

 rences only, occasioned by accident. If all the migrative species did 

 actually reside with us the whole year, whether in a torpid state or 

 not, we should have daily productions of the fact ; and yet, in the 

 various historic pages of this country, very few instances have been 

 related, that had the appearance of authenticity, of the torpidity of 

 any of our summer migrants ; and such appear to be only of the swal- 

 low tribe. Torpidity is probably the state of those summer birds 

 of passage which accident may have detained with us during winter ; 

 similar to the hedgehog, the dormouse, and bat. These become inani- 

 mate when the thermometer sinks within ten degrees of the freezing 

 point, as their animal heat keeps pace with the temperature of the air at 

 that time. That our summer migrants come from the south, or warmer 

 climate, and our winter migrants from the north, or colder climate, there 



